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Enjoy Our Premium Highlights Plus These Extra Tour Features
Excursions & Sights
* Visit the ruins of St. Sophia and see the city walls in Iznik
* Visit the Grand Mosque & Bursa's greatest monument, the Green Mosque and Tomb
* Visit Ataturk's Mausoleum and Hittite Museum in Ankara
* Visit the mausoleum of Haci Bektas
* Visit Caravanserai Sultanhani
* Tour Kaymakli's underground city
* Visit Konya's Mevlana Museum
* Visit Perge's ancient ruins
* Visit the ruins in Hierapolis and Pamukkale's white terraces
* Visit the Temple of Aphrodite at Aphrodisias
* Tour the excavations at Ephesus
* Visit the House of the Virgin Mary & Selçuk Archeological Museum
* Visit Pergamon's Acropolis, Temple of Athena, library & Asklepieon
* View the Trojan Horse in Troy
* Visit Lone Pine Cemetery and Anzac Cove in Gallipoli
* Visit the Blue Mosque, Basilica of St. Sophia & Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
* Visit the fabulous Topkapi Palace
Guided City Tours
* In depth sightseeing tours in Bursa, Göreme, Aspendos, Perge, Ephesus, Troy, Pergamon, Gallipoli and Istanbul.
* Orientation tours in Iznik, Bursa, Ankara, Konya & Antalya
Insight's First Class Services
* First Class hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage
* Travel by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and onboard toilet
* Insight's professional multilingual Tour Director to escort you
* Travel bag, document wallet, map book journal and information pack
Complimentary Transfers
* Complimentary arrival and departure transfers between Istanbul airport and your Insight tour hotel
Quality Dining & Entertainment
* A spectacular highlight folklore show in an underground cave in Cappadocia
* 14 buffet breakfasts and 11 special-menu dinners, or buffets, plus tea or coffee
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ITINERARY
Tour Pace
A well paced tour with relaxing 2 night stays often punctuating the itinerary where necessary. Day 8 in Antalya is completely at leisure for guests to relax or hit the beach and shops. In towns and cities where we stay only one night, the driving days are not too long, with frequent stops for sightseeing.
DAY 1 – ISTANBUL AT LEISURE
At the beginning of a tour you'll treasure forever in your memory, you are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Tonight, we get together to meet our Tour Director and fellow passengers for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Conrad.
DAY 2 – ISTANBUL – BURSA
This morning we embark on a superb highlight cruise along the Bosphorus past Ottoman palaces, old mansions and fortresses. Leaving Istanbul, we take a short ferry trip and drive to Iznik. We visit the ruins of St. Sophia and see the city walls before continuing to Bursa. This afternoon there is time to haggle in the bazaar and colourful silk markets. Hotel: Kervansaray Termal. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 3 – BURSA – ANKARA
This morning we visit the glorious Green Mosque and Mausoleum complex and Grand Mosque in Bursa. Then we drive to the charming Cumalikizik Village with its traditional wooden houses, and narrow cobblestone streets. We then visit Gordion, where Alexander the Great cut the famous Gordion Knot, en route to Turkey's modern capital Ankara. Hotel: Hilton. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 4 – ANKARA – CAPPADOCIA
Our sightseeing this morning includes visits to the Hittite Museum and Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, Turkey's greatest leader in modern times. Later we visit the mausoleum of the Sufi philosopher, Haci Bektas. We then head to Nevsehir in the historical Cappadocia region. Hotel: Dedeman. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 5 – CAPPADOCIA – GöREME EXCURSION
In this unique region of volcanic landscapes and 'fairy-chimneys', we go to Göreme to visit the rock-carved churches containing ancient frescoes in the open air museum and the Zelve valleys, where the scenery is dotted with caves and troglodyte dwellings. We also visit the underground city of Kaymakli and see the cone of Uchisar. Tonight we enjoy dinner at the hotel followed by a colourful folklore show in an underground cave, featuring dances from the different regions. (Buffet breakfast, Speciality Highlight Dinner)
DAY 6 – CAPPADOCIA – KONYA
We visit the Caravanserai of Sultanhani before driving to Turkey's most religious city, Konya which was once the home of the mystic sect of Whirling Dervishes and the old capital of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire. Here, we visit the Mevlana Museum, with its beautiful fluted turquoise dome. We also see the Karatay Medrese and Ince Minaret. Hotel: Rixos. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 7 – KONYA – ANTALYA
Today we descend the Taurus mountains and drive to Aspendos, to visit what is considered the best preserved Roman Theatre anywhere in the world. Next, we drive to the Hellenistic or Roman city of Perge to visit the extensive ruins, including the great Theatre, the Stadium, and the gate-towers leading into a street where ancient chariot ruts can still be seen! Then on to our hotel in Antalya. This evening, we enjoy a walking tour of the old town. Hotel: Sheraton Voyager. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 8 – ANTALYA AT LEISURE
Today is at leisure to relax and explore Antalya, or enjoy the leisure facilities of our hotel. Perhaps take a stroll around the harbour area or take a boat trip? (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 9 – ANTALYA – PAMUKKALE
We pass pine forests and cross the Taurus mountains today on our way to Pamukkale. On arrival, we visit the ruins of Hierapolis, and the beautiful 'Cotton Castle' – an apt description of its dazzling white limestone terraces. Hotel: Colossae Thermal. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 10 – PAMUKKALE – KUSADASI
This morning we visit the Temple of Aphrodite at amazing Aphrodisias before continuing to our beautiful beach front hotel in the lively coastal town of Kusadasi. Hotel: Korumar. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 11 – KUSADASI – IZMIR
Today we tour one of the world's finest archeological sites - Ephesus. We visit the Amphitheatre and walk along the Arcadian Way to view the splendid facade of the Library of Celsus. Situated above the ruins is the House of the Virgin Mary, which we visit next, before continuing to the Selçuk archeological museum, where many artifacts from Ephesus are displayed. We stay tonight in the Aegean port of Izmir. Hotel: Hilton/Crowne Plaza. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 12 – IZMIR – ÇANAKKALE
Our first stop today is Pergamon, the impressive site of an ancient kingdom, where we visit the Acropolis, the Temple of Athena and library, before viewing the Red Courtyard and the ruins of the Asklepieon. From here, we drive to Homer's Troy, where we see the ruins of nine cities built on top of each other, and an enormous reconstruction of the famous wooden horse. Now on to our hotel in Çanakkale. Hotel: Kolin. (Buffet breakfast, Three or four course table d'hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 13 – ÇANAKKALE – ISTANBUL
This morning we cross the Dardanelle Straits by ferry and continue to the Gallipoli Peninsula, scene of fierce fighting in World War I. Here, we pay our respects at Anzac Cove and visit the emotive Lone Pine Cemetery before returning to Istanbul. Hotel: Conrad. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 14 – ISTANBUL SIGHTSEEING
In Istanbul today we visit the Blue Mosque, and the Hippodrome, where Roman chariot races were held. We also visit St. Sophia, which has been a cathedral and a mosque, but is now a magnificent museum. The afternoon is dedicated to the Topkapi Palace, a walled city perched above the Bosphorous and the Golden Horn. Now we're off to the glittering Grand Bazaar. Perhaps enjoy dinner with belly-dancing this evening? (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 15 – ISTANBUL
Our tour ends after breakfast with a transfer to the airport. (Buffet breakfast)
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